Organizations Recognize Increasing Need To Help Fathers Be Equal Parenting Partners

NEW YORK, NY (September 16, 2020) — Working Mother revealed its third annual list of the “Best Companies for Dads,” celebrating organizations that lead in the areas of paternity leave, childcare, flexible schedules and more. L.E.K. Consulting was one of the 85 companies recognized on this year’s list.
 
“L.E.K. is honored to be recognized as one of the Best Companies for Dads by Working Mother during these profoundly difficult times for families and employees all over,” said Robert Rourke, President of L.E.K. Consulting’s Americas region. “We know that companies need to help and support their people, and we work to ensure that our dads – and dual career families – have access to programs that help them in various dimensions of their lives, including home and work. In the end, this keeps our organization and culture strong, and our clients happy.”

“Millennial dads continue to be outspoken about wanting to be involved parents and needing the support of their companies in order to do so,” says Subha V. Barry, president of Working Mother Media. “These trendsetting organizations strive to create an inclusive environment for all working parents, and we applaud their efforts in helping to erase the stigma attached to men taking full parental leave and utilizing flexible schedules to be more involved on the home front. By doing so, it helps moms succeed both at home and at work, and puts them on more equal footing in the process.”

Key Facts About the 2020 Best Companies for Dads List:

  • Sixty-four percent offer gender-neutral parental leave, and 36 percent offer paternity leave. The minimum number of paid gender-neutral parental leave is 10 weeks versus 14 weeks for the top 10 companies. One hundred percent offer either paid gender-neutral or fully paid paternity leave versus 29 percent nationally*. The average weeks taken by dads with gender-neutral leave are eight versus 10 weeks for the top 10 companies. The average weeks taken by dads with fully-paid paternity leave are seven versus 13 weeks for the top 10 companies.
  • Eighty percent actively encourage parents to take the full amount of leave (versus 90 percent of the top 10 companies).
  • Fifty-nine percent provide transition planning for parental leaves and training to managers and co-workers about parents on leave (versus 100 percent of top 10 companies).
  • Ninety-one percent provide backup childcare when regular care isn’t available (versus 100 percent of top 10 companies)
  • Ninety-four percent offer support for children on the autism spectrum (versus 100 percent of top 10 companies).

*According to the Society for Human Resource Management
 
ABOUT THE METHODOLOGY:
This year, for the first time, the Best Companies for Dads was offered to companies as a separate initiative for which they had to apply. The previous two years, Working Mother Research Institute had pulled out responses pertaining to dads from the 100 Best Companies application. The organizations listed here received the highest numbers of points in the survey about dads, which included questions on parental leave, childcare, adoption leave, fertility benefits and employee-resource groups for men and working parents. 

ABOUT L.E.K. CONSULTING
L.E.K. Consulting is a global management consulting firm that uses deep industry expertise and rigorous analysis to help business leaders achieve practical results with real impact. We are uncompromising in our approach to helping clients consistently make better decisions, deliver improved business performance and create greater shareholder returns. The firm advises and supports global companies that are leaders in their industries — including the largest private- and public-sector organizations, private equity firms, and emerging entrepreneurial businesses. Founded in 1983, L.E.K. employs more than 1,600 professionals across the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe. For more information, go to www.lek.com.

ABOUT WORKING MOTHER MEDIA
Working Mother Media, a division of Bonnier Corp., publishes Working Mother magazine and its companion website, workingmother.com. The Working Mother Research Institute, the National Association for Female Executives, Diversity Best Practices and Culture@Work are also units within WMM. WMM’s mission is to serve as a champion of culture change, and Working Mother magazine is the only national magazine for career-committed mothers. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest.
 
PRESS CONTACT
Michael-Jon Romano, Sommerfield Communications, michael-jon@sommerfield.com, 212-255-8386

WORKING MOTHER MEDIA
Stefanie McNamara, 212-779-5119, stefanie.mcnamara@bonniercorp.com